Visual artists vow to launch online painting classes, art exhibitions

Sher Alam Shinwari

PESHAWAR: The visual artists have vowed to launch online classes for art students and also to put on display art -works online to beat down mental stress and an effort would be made to set up an emergency relief fund for the welfare of visual artists affected by the pandemic.  The Visual artists would share their art-works from their home galleries for online viewers. The emergency relief fund would be raised to help out the affected artists , participants of an online meeting said. 

Online art classes would be not only a novel experience but would also provide an opportunity to students and art lovers and art exhibitions online would too give a peep into the art galleries of visual art maestros and such an activity would help transport social media users to scale up new creative flights, participants of an online meeting of visual artists rolled out.

Sharing the highlights of an online meeting chaired by Mian Ijazul Hasan, head of the National Artists Association of Pakistan (NAAP), Ali Sajid, noted artist said that the participants had vowed to launch the series of art classes for students and art lovers alongside putting up art-pieces on online gallery display so that the issue boredom of staying at home could be addressed by engaging and participating in positive activities. 

Mr Sajid said the meeting was convened to discuss various issues related to art and visual artists adding that social distancing in the wake of threat of covid-19 pandemic proved a real challenge for many but especially who were depended on gatherings including entertainment industry. 

The visual artists paid a heavy price and it became imperative for the visual artist’s community to plan out future way forward and among several options, raising emergency fund to be collected from donor foundations, KP culture directorate, individual art lovers and auction of paintings of the senior visual artists, he stated.

The artist said that the financial constraints of the most affected visual artists would be prioritized once enough funds could be raised as the lockdown had cast serious negative on almost every aspect of life but visual artists could still do something better for people and the society at large to reduce mental stress and bring some moments of spiritual pleasure through the power of ‘see’ and ‘sense’. 

“It was brought under debate during the online meeting that online classes would be started to engage art students and also home galleries would be opened for online visitors  and at the same time initiative would be taken for raising emergency fund for extending urgent financial assistance to the visual artists involved in daily hand and brush works and earn humble livelihood for the families,  Senior artists would be approached to auction their art –works online  to generate some amount for the fund,” he said.

 Ghulam Mustafa, general secretary of NAAP, general secretary of NAAP, KP chapter , Ajab Khan , patrons and members of NAAP , Tariq Bacha Kaka Khel and Anwar Khan  also attended the online meeting,